Crux Tel, the Shadar-Kai – Steal this Background

In the Shadowfell, Shadar-Kai live in the extreme.  You would too, lest you succumb to the dreary woes of that realm.  In that extreme you would embrace pain, just so that you could feel something.  They are no strangers to pain, these Shadar-Kai, and no strangers to combat.  They look forward to it, relish it, love it.  Crux Tel is one such warrior.

By chance, he had the opportunity to travel to the natural world, where the light of day burned his skin for the first time, he smelled the stench of roses for the first time, and the opportunities for great battles with natural beasts begged, for the first time.  He doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to this natural world, with all it’s pleasantries.

It was enough to make any sane Shadowfeller go insane.  But, no other from his tribe had been to the natural world, and he wasn’t going to lose this opportunity.  For when he went back home, he would crow his battles all night long, like no other Shadar-Kai had.  The natural world, or Hell (as he referred to it), would just have to endure him until then.

“I know he kidnapped your kids, and you want them back, but they’re just kids.”

The Twist: Crux Tel’s position in his tribe was that as a defender.  However, this Swordmage always felt he should have been trained as a Raiding Hunter, and so he always fights as a striker, charging into battle without any regard for his safety.  He’ll attempt the most daring stunts in battle and go after the toughest foes by himself, just so that he can crow about it later, when he finally returns to his tribe.

Though Crux Tel is a devote follower of the Raven Queen, he is logical enough to know that most gods have something of value to offer, when needed.

He doesn’t know yet what to think about these softies in the natural world, except that they’re soft.  It’ll take a lot for them to prove themselves otherwise.

Boresh, the Betrayer – Steal this Enemy

Boresh is an older bother to one of the player characters (in a family with three brothers), and son to a famous heroic father.  As the eldest son, it was thought that he would follow in his father’s footsteps, becoming a great fighter.  And indeed, he did grow to become strong.

However, as a young adult, he failed to protect his mother and their home while his father was away.  The intruders (supposedly enemies of his father) ransacked his home and had beaten his mother.  Boresh tried to fend them off, but fell to the invaders, sustaining horrid injuries.

Though he was never blamed for not be able to protect his mother and brothers (one of which is a player character), he none-the-less felt horrid guilt and incompetence.  He wanted nothing more than to be able to protect his family.

Soon, he was quietly approached by a vassal of a powerful entity, offering to grant him power in exchange for minor services.  At first, the services consisted of acquiring rare plants and herbs, and sacrifices of small animals (birds & rodents).  But as his “powers” were granted to him at an ever-slow pace, he asked the vassal for ways to increase it.  The vassal agreed to the request, and instructed Boresh to sacrifice his family dog.  After some contemplation, Boresh agreed.

The relationship between the vassal and Boresh continued like this for two years, culminating with Boresh sacrificing known criminals.  By this time, his Fighter skills had improved significantly, as well as gaining powerful Warlock powers (granted by the vassal).

Unfortunately, his youngest brother walked in on one of these sacrifices accidentally.  The two got into an argument, which led to a fight, and subsequently the accidental death of the brother.  Feeling ashamed, he wrote a note, claiming to be an old enemy of his father’s, and placed his brother’s body and the note in the town square in the middle of the night.  The note was written to signify hatred of Boresh’s father, signed by Lucis (a random name).

At this point, Boresh stopped associating with the vassal, and buried his warlock powers deep inside.  His father, coming out of retirement, vowed to track down this ‘Lucis’ and destroy him.  So he set off on a long journey as only a grieving father, yet famous hero, could.  After two months of traveling, word came back to Boresh and his town that his father had fallen in battle (presumably to Lucis).

Boresh then publicly announced that he would not go after his brother’s or his father’s killer, that he had a responsibility to his mother, his remaing brother (the PC) and his estate, which he now inherited.

At this point, he took on the role as head of the house.  Caring for his mother and teaching his younger brother how to be a man.  He was strong, and a good fighter, but every few months either his house or those of his neighbors would be attacked by barbaric orcs.  Boresh and his brother (the PC) fought well against these invaders, but eventually the threats became too great, so Boresh resumed contact with the vassal.

The vassal agreed to grant Boresh increased strength and speed, as long as he resumed and continued his service.  Unfortunately, the sacrifices needed for his power-gain were escalating, and he eventually succumbed to the madness of the dark lords.  Soon he was sacrificing the homeless, then farmers, and then young women.  His power had consumed him, and as a mockery to his sanity, he gained the ability to change shape into that of Lucis, becoming two people.  Part of the time he stayed at home as Boresh, and other times he ventured out as Lucis.

Through his Lucis persona, he has goals to achieve.  And yes, many people will perish as a result of his endeavors.

THE TWIST: The vassal is a succubus, employed by the likes of Mephistopheles (ruler of the 8th Plane of Hell).  Mephistopheles has plans for this Boresh, which he will slowly cultivate into fruition.  Everything that has happened to Boresh, his family, his father, and his town was instigated by the succubus.

Boresh must be presented as an NPC who makes appearances from time-to-time, often to help the players (mainly his brother).  He genuinely doesn’t want to hurt his brother or his friends, and is actually a likable guy, but as the party gets closer and closer to Lucis’s endeavor (whatever it is), he starts to become more agitated.

At first, as Lucis, he will not fight the players.  He will let his minions and soldiers do that.  Not until he becomes a level-appropriate enemy will he finally reach the end of his rope, facing off with the group (namely his brother).  When the players realize that Lucis is actually Boresh – well, that’s up to you.

Optional Twist: Have a second player use Boresh as as a Fighter-type in the group as his normal character (he will have to know everything about your plans for Lucis).  Make sure the fighter is made up using the normal rules, but otherwise let the player decide his powers (perhaps you could even give him small little bonuses or powers that may or may not be noticed by the other PCs).  At the end of your campaign, have the player character reveal that he is actually Lucis, and then he and the GM fight the other players.  Make sure that Lucis now has a nice elite or solo combination of fighter and warlock powers to throw at the group.

Trip-no Flix, the Doppleganger – Steal this NPC

The Twist: Trip-no Flix displays a friendly, outgoing demeanor, especially when performing. While he has few friends, he knows many people and is known by everyone in the town. However, there is a slightly darker side to him that he keeps secret…

Trip-no Flix was adopted by the village or town in which he lives.  He was first found as a toddler, and then much to the surprise of the those around him, he occasionally changed shape to mimic those he liked.  Most of the townsfolk were initially alarmed and concerned, but as he was continuously shuffled from home to home, people started to accept him.

From the start, he knew that he was different, and many times the target of insults and bullies.  It was from this rough childhood that he learned to use his ability to his benefit.  He developed a knack for telling jokes, performing tricks, singing, playing instruments, and generally getting a party going.  All this accented by his ability to change identities.

As a young adult, he regularly performs at taverns and inns, if not a private party elsewhere.  He is known by all in the town, and can scarcely get around without someone recognizing him in is regular persona.

As a rule, whenever he is not performing, he is generally not allowed to change out of his regular role.  The townsfolk have clasped around his neck a steel collar (that he can’t take off).  The collar is smooth (and not uncomfortable), but it is there so that no matter what identity he assumes, he can always be recognized as Trip-no Flix.

While he usually travels around the town in his regular “Trip” identity, he has a few others that he uses occasionally for discreet endeavors or if he simply wants some privacy.  During these times he is sure to cover up his collar.

The Twist: Trip-no Flix displays a friendly, outgoing demeanor, especially when performing.  While he has few friends, he knows many people and is known by everyone in the town.   However, there is a slightly darker side to him that he keeps secret.

This darker side, which is actually a result of his upbringing and place in this town, stirs Trip-no Flix to aspire to greater positions.  He can’t wait to get the collar off, and will skip town as soon as he does.  Until then, he is working angles on rich daughters and sons.  Slowly, he has been accumulating a hidden stash of money and valuables.  Unfortunately, his resentment for his position in the town is pushing him over the edge, opening him up to more dangerous endeavors.

The Double Ambush (steal this encounter)

As the adventures are traveling, they are startled to see a female figure in flowing white robes being chased by a Dire Wolf.  The chase takes place about a hundred yards away, and both are moving quickly.  The female is running as fast as she can, getting scraped up by thorns and/or branches along the way, not to mention getting her robes snagged and ripped.  The dire wolf simply powers through any vegetation, trying to get to her.  Every so often the woman manages to turn around and fire a couple of arrows at the wolf, but it keeps charging after her.

After giving the description of the chase, the player characters should be running after them to assist.  Just as they get close enough for any ranged attacks to reach the dire wolf, the woman reaches the edge of a small cliff, drops her bow, pulls out a long sword, and then turns to face the dire wolf.  Immediately as she turns to face the wolf, it charges into her and the two tumble over the edge, out of sight of the player characters.

As the player characters reach the edge of the small cliff, they see below (about 30 feet) the woman pulling herself out from under the motionless dire wolf, obviously tired and scraped up.  When the players get down the cliff (an easy roll), they see her leaning back onto the large wolf, with her sword wedged into its body.  The wolf is breathing faintly, and will obviously die within the next few moments.  If anyone attempts to kill off the wolf, the woman stops them, saying that it is her kill.  She then extends out her hand, wanting the player character to give her a weapon (even if it’s just a dagger) so she can finish off the beast.

Later, after retrieving her sword, she explains that she and her brother were traveling to the next city when their wagon was ambushed by three shifters and a dire wolf.  The dire wolf chased her several hundred yards, and she’s sure that the shifters got her brother.  She will then plead with the player characters for help, if they don’t offer first.

When the player characters get to the ambush site, they see an overturned wagon with a few supplies scattered around it.  The wagon is at the beginning of a ravine, creating a nice ambush-worthy corridor for the players to walk into.  The area is scattered with patches of tall grass, providing good concealment (make sure that the patches of grass are visible on the map).  Almost immediately, the PC’s notice in one particular tall patch of grass (down the corridor) someone punching another person (repeatedly) on the ground. It’s all very hard to see because of the grass.

Assuming the players either start a fight, or try to get closer, the woman freaks out and hides under the wagon.  Apparently, she can’t handle this.  As the players move forward, the ambush is triggered.  Three shifters and another dire wolf come out of hiding to attack the player characters.

And then after a round or two of fighting, the players are surprised to see the wagon sent flying violently into the air as a werewolf emerges from underneath it, with shredded white robes falling to the ground.  The werewolf tries to block off the ravine to prevent any escape, or goes after any archers behind her.

What Really Happened: This group spends a lot of time setting up an ambush site some distance away from a road, and then waits for weeks for the right target group to come along.  These NPCs try to save their ambushes for adventures (who would be inclined to help others, and/or be carrying valuables).  Conversely, this could have been a trap set up for the player characters in particular (do the PCs have any enemies?).

Agaroth, the Lost Adventurer – Steal this Background

Agaroth (the Lost Adventurer) is from a distant land.  His homeland is so far away that most people have never heard of it.  At some point in his career, his sponsor, lord, or patron sent him on a quest to seek and destroy a great evil (most likely something he will never face, like Orcus).  The quest is all but impossible to fulfill, and he’ll probably die of old age first, if not from some other battle.

Really, the quest is a great honor, and Agaroth knows he will most likely be unsuccessful.  However, the honor of the quest does not come from success or failure, but in his devotion to it.  In fact, in his homeland, he is revered as a hero for simply taking on the quest.

The Twist: Since he has been traveling for at least ten years (and traveled very far),  he has an interesting quirk: he cites proverbs that most people have never heard before, let alone understand.  When others look confused, Agaroth sighs, then explains in simple terms what he means.   Of course, these proverbs are commonplace in his homeland.

For instance, the group is trying to decide if they should take the easy (slow) route, or the fast (difficult) route.  Agaroth says, “Well, two flies can sing, and the sun will always rise.” Or, “The rose petals rock the bridge.” Or, “Ogre say – Sogre ray.” Really, the proverb need only be made up on the spot and have zero meaning to be effective.

I like the idea that Agaroth is a warrior of some kind, like an Avenger, Ranger, or Paladin.  Of course, you could apply the quirk to any character, in any roleplaying game, if you like.

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